


Hale's All-Night Sanguinary Cafe

by fenellaevangela



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 23:13:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2791217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fenellaevangela/pseuds/fenellaevangela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cora meets a cute new customer one night while working at the vampire cafe she owns with her brother and sister. She and Erica hit it off, but then Cora discovers that Erica's not just a newly-bitten vampire, she was bitten by <i>Derek</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hale's All-Night Sanguinary Cafe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doctorkaitlyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorkaitlyn/gifts).



> Beta'd by dansunedisco@tumblr. Thank you!

It was only about an hour after sunset, too early for most of their regular clientele to show up, but Cora was dutifully standing behind the counter at _Hale's All-Night Sanguinary Cafe_. She had a magazine propped up behind the cash register and was half way through an article on the newest celebrity fashion trends when the door chimed and a new customer walked in.

Cora looked up with her best customer service face, but the woman was standing a few feet away, chewing her lip and reading the menu posted on the wall behind the counter. Cora had rewritten it herself just a few days ago, when they added the _A-Negative Raspberry Frappuccino_. She wasn't a fan of A-negative, but Laura swore the drink was going to be a big seller. 

After a few moments, the customer approached the counter. "So, uh. Do you have anything that doesn't taste really bloody?"

Laura always told Cora not to provoke the customers, so she tried to keep her reaction off her face, but she didn't think she was all that successful. _Doesn't taste really bloody_ ; what were they, a Starbucks?

"Uh, no," Cora told the other woman. She was another vampire, Cora could tell, with long blonde hair and the kind of leather jacket a lot of the newbies started wearing when they went through their 'children of the night' phase. 

"Oh," said, the woman, frowning. She looked back up at the menu, and Cora decided to have mercy on her.

"New to the night life?" she asked.

The customer glanced back towards her. "Yeah. I guess that question made it pretty obvious, huh?

"Well, it was either that or my vampdar is broken," Cora said. She reached her hand over the counter and offered it to the other woman. "Welcome to eternal life. Name's Cora."

"I'm Erica," the other woman said. Her whole face lit up as they shook hands, and Cora felt her own smile creeping up on her even as she tried to rein it in. Vampires being standoffish as a rule, she didn't get a lot of chances to flirt with receptive customers, but the opportunity seemed to be presenting itself. And the opportunity was a cute blonde, so Cora wasn't about to say no.

"Well, Erica," she said. "I might be able to help you out."

"Oh yeah?" Erica asked.

"Mmhm. Just give me a sec," Cora answered.

Cora's family had all been vampires long enough that the early days of their transformations were barely a memory; Cora herself only remembered a few scattered sensations, as if from a dream. But even if she didn't know what it was like to be a newbie first hand, it was well known that it took a few months for a vampire's taste buds to get used to the metallic tang of blood. Laura always said that it was to keep young vampires from overindulging and sucking someone dry, but Cora suspected that was just a guess. 

All of drinks at _Hale's All-Night Sanguinary Cafe_ were mixed with something; only bars sold blood straight-up. Whoever was on shift each nightfall usually made up a few batches of starter before the rush got going. Cora pulled two jugs containing mixtures of syrup, cream, and coffee out of the fridge behind the counter and turned to Erica.

"Iced raspberry frapp or iced caramel mocha?" she asked.

Erica's eyebrows rose towards her hairline. "Oh! Uh, caramel, please."

"I prefer the caramel, too," Cora said, pouring some of the starter into blender on the counter next to the fridge. "I usually like it about fifty-fifty with some O-positive, but for you how about I cut it down a bit?"

She snuck a peek over her shoulder and flashed Erica a smile before going back to mixing the drink. She threw a couple cubes of frozen coffee and an ounce of blood in with the starter, then set it to mix. It only took a moment before she was handing the cold drink over to the other woman.

"Wow, thanks," Erica said, and took a sip. For a moment she stood there with her eyes closed, savouring it, and Cora tried not to feel too smug about her flirting skills. She smirked when Erica opened her eyes again.

"This is the best thing I've tasted since I turned," Erica admitted.

"So what brings you to our fine establishment, if you still don't like the taste of blood?" Cora asked. Then feeling a little bold, she added, "Just here to seduce cute baristas?" 

Erica laughed then, a genuine laugh, and that's when Cora knew she was ready to fall _deep_. Of course, she could have guessed that was when the other shoe would drop.

"I didn't come here 'cause the drinks sounded good - no offence, I mean, I'm sure I'll love the rest of your stuff once my taste buds catch up with the rest of me," Erica assured her. "But I actually just came here to meet someone, and I got here a little early. Figured I should make a show of at least _trying_ something off the menu before settling into a booth . . ."

 _To meet someone_. Cora suddenly wondered if she had read the whole situation wrong. _Damn it._ She gamely tried once again to keep her reaction from showing, but if she couldn't pull it off earlier she knew she couldn't pull it off now.

Erica's face instantly transformed from it's bright smile to a picture of shock. "No no no!" she sputtered. "Uh, I mean, I think I just stuck my foot in my mouth. I'm here to meet my sire."

Cora quirked an eyebrow. The types of vampires who sired newbies in this day and age weren't the kind of vampires who visited wholesome family-owned blood cafes. They weren't the kind of vampires Cora's family wanted as customers, either. Vampires who turned people were looking for trouble, trailing hunters and slayers behind them wherever they went.

Erica was frowning now. "Ugh, sorry. We were getting along so well and I totally ruined it. I'm just gonna," she waved vaguely towards the booths next to the windows, "sit down now."

That shook Cora out of her head. "No, wait," she said. "We _were_ getting along well. You don't have to leave, you didn't ruin anything."

"Oh, good," Erica sighed, relieved. "I don't know a lot of other vampires yet, and certainly not any cute ones who'll mix me custom drinks." Then she _winked_.

Before Cora could do something about _that_ , the door chimed for the second time that night, and they both looked over to see Cora's brother Derek interrupting them mid-flirt.

Typically, Cora thought, Derek didn't even say hello. He just glared and stalked towards a corner booth, all doom and gloom and an embarrassment of vampire cliches if Cora ever saw one. She rolled her eyes and was about to excuse his creeper attitude when Erica reached over and placed her hand on Cora's wrist.

"So, I have to go now. But maybe I'll come by for a . . . drink? Later?"

"Absolutely," Cora said, and wondered for a moment if Derek's appearance had put Erica off. But then, as Erica took her drink and walked to the corner booth, Cora suddenly realized what was happening. She didn't _believe_ it, but when Erica slipped into the seat across from Derek, there was only one explanation.

Derek was Erica's sire.

Laura was going to _kill him_.

* * *

Derek had left _Hale's All-Night Sanguinary Cafe_ before the end of Cora's shift, towing with him not only Erica but also two other new vampires who had shown up at the cafe a few minutes after Derek arrived. That was _three_ fledglings. Cora glared at the back of his head as he left, but he didn't so much as glance her way.

He wasn't able to avoid her when he got back to their apartment the next night, though.

"So," Cora said. She was leaning against the wall near the door when he came in; Derek didn't jump, but she could tell that she'd startled him. "I met one of your new 'friends' last night."

Derek sighed. "Look, I know what you think, okay?"

"Do you? Because I _think_ you have no idea what you're doing," Cora told him. "And Laura agrees with me, I'll have you know."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "Laura's not back until next week."

"Nope," said Laura, emerging from the kitchen doorway.

Derek did jump that time, and Cora snickered like the little sister she really was at heart. _Served him right_.

"Laura!" Derek gasped. "What - did you come home early because of this?"

"Cora told me you _bit_ someone, Derek, so yes."

"Three someones," Cora corrected. 

Both women looked at Derek expectantly, and Cora could see the moment he resigned himself to the fact that they weren't going to leave him alone. None of them had ever turned someone into a vampire before. No one did anymore, really; only a few new vampires were turned every decade. Turning three at once was unheard of, and Derek had to realize he couldn't keep quiet about it for long.

"Look," Derek said. "I know you want me to explain, but it's not my place to say, alright?"

"Not your 'place'?" Laura asked.

" _Yes_ ," Derek insisted. "And I'm a little busy trying to balance work with training three new vampires who can't even stomach the taste of blood yet, so I'm not up to dodging your questions, okay?"

Cora glanced at her older sister. Derek's secrecy was odd, but they knew their brother and he just wasn't the type to suddenly become a vampiric despot and start turning people just for fun. The last person they knew who had done that was Old Uncle Peter, and people had been suspicious of him for years before he had finally gone rogue. Laura caught Cora's eye and nodded, and Cora turned back to Derek.

"Fine," she said. She pointed her finger in his face and he glared at it, but she stood her ground. "You better not make us regret this, big bro."

"I won't," Derek said. 

"Well, good," Cora told him. 

Laura sighed and rounded up the other two into a hug, like she always did after there was family drama. Derek huffed, but let himself be embraced. Cora indulged her siblings reluctantly, then stepped back the quickest as soon as it was over.

"Turning three strangers at once. Idiot," she muttered.

Laura didn't even pretend she couldn't hear Cora. "It does seem kind of foolish," she said.

Derek rolled his eyes, but he seemed relieved that the disapproving looks were gone. "So, are you going to help me teach my fledglings how to keep down their dinners, or are you going to mock me?" 

Cora looked over at Laura again, then they both looked at Derek.

"Mock you," Laura said.

"Definitely mock you," Cora agreed. "But I'll try to take it easy on you if you give me Erica's number."

* * *

Having your first date with your family watching was _so_ 1650s, but Erica had wanted one of Cora's specially-mixed drinks and _Hale's All-Night Sanguinary Cafe_ was the only coffee place in town that would let Cora behind the counter.

Erica took the last sip of her iced caramel mocha, then placed the cup down on the table. "I'm never going to get tired of these," she warned. "You're going to have to tell me how much of everything you put in them, because I may need to start making my own."

Cora smirked. "Oh, is that why you agreed to go out with me? To steal our recipes and run _Hale's All-Night Sanguinary Cafe_ out of business?"

"Hmm, no," Erica said. "I agreed to go out with you because you're cute. The drinks are just a fun bonus."

Cora laughed, even though what Erica said wasn't really a joke. That made Erica beam her wonderful smile at her, and soon the two women were just smiling at each other in silence. The silence abruptly ended when a tray of drinks was slid onto their table and they both glanced up, startled.

Derek quirked and eyebrow at them. "You two are acting so sweet, I decided to bring you the sugar-free versions for your next round. I hope that's okay." 

Erica smothered a giggle in her hands. 

"Thanks for the refills, Derek," Cora said, rolling her eyes. " _Bye_."

Derek smirked but went back to the counter without another word. Cora turned back to her date, and she had never been more thankful that vampires couldn't blush than she was at that moment.

"Sorry about him," she said.

Erica shook her head. "No, don't be. Derek's a good guy, and he's just trying to embarrass his sister like any other big brother."

The answer gave Cora pause. She, Laura, and Derek had lost their sire years ago, but Cora remembered how close that relationship was supposed to be. Sires were supposed to be like a parent, or a mentor. Someone who you could always rely on and trust. Cora, as much as she loved him, couldn't imagine Derek being that person to someone. But he was that person to Erica, and she wondered what that relationship was like.

"Can I ask you something?" Cora said.

"Yeah, sure," said Erica, taking a sip of her new drink. She scrunched up her nose at the taste, and Cora was temporarily distracted by the sight of Erica's face in a new and adorable configuration. 

"Here," she said, handing over one of the packs of sugar Derek had left on the drink tray. At least he hadn't really meant for them to drink sugar-free mochas. She waited until Erica had mixed the sugar into her drink, just in case, before continuing on with her question.

"So Derek's your sire," she started.

Erica gave her a look. "Uh. Yes?"

"And he also bit those two guys you were with the other night, right?" Erica nodded. "I was wondering if you realized how, well, _weird_ that is?"

Erica sighed, like she had been expecting that type of question. _Well, good_. That just meant that Derek wasn't trying to pretend his behaviour was normal.

"Did Derek tell you how he met me?" Erica asked. "He better not have, by the way."

Cora shook her head. "He didn't. We were worried he was going all Count Dracula when we first found out, but he wouldn't say anything."

Erica seemed satisfied with that. "Good. I asked him not to."

They each took a moment to sip their drinks - Cora adding the last of the sugar packets to her own - before Erica went on.

"The details aren't important right now, but, uh. Basically? I was pretty sick."

Cora frowned. The threat of human illness was a lifetime ago for her; she usually didn't even remember that being sick was a thing people had to worry about. There were a few supernatural illnesses that existed, but they were so rare that Cora had never known someone firsthand who had caught one.

"So you were sick, and Derek turned you - as a cure?" Cora asked. Erica nodded. "That's . . . we don't usually do that."

"Yeah, I know," said Erica. "But Derek and I used to talk sometimes, we're friends - you know he gets some of the blood for this place from the blood bank over near the hospital, right?"

"Yeah," Cora said. Derek was the one in charge of keeping _Hale's All-Night Sanguinary Cafe_ stocked, but Cora and Laura both knew all the suppliers.

"Well, I used be at the hospital a lot," Erica explained. "I met Derek in the garden there one evening and well," she spread her hands, "the rest is history."

"Wow," Cora said. She paused for a moment, then suddenly realized something. "What about the other guys?"

A mischievous glint appeared in Erica's eyes. "We-ell," she said, smiling. "I _may_ have had something to do with that."

Cora laughed, incredulous. "Are you trying to tell me that you convinced my brother to turn those two guys?" she asked.

"They're my friends, okay, and they weren't sick, but . . ." Erica sighed. "I'll let them tell you the details later, okay? The _point_ is, they deserved super powers just as much as I did!" 

" _Super powers_!" Cora repeated, and her laughter was turning into a full-fledged guffaw now. "You realize he's totally overwhelmed by all this? And all the other vampires are looking at him like he could turn darkside any moment?"

Erica was laughing now, too. "I didn't realize it was such a big deal when I asked!" she explained. "It didn't even take much convincing! I swear, your brother's a big softie under that tough vampire exterior."

Cora glanced over towards Derek, who was standing behind the counter and doing a very poor job of looking like he wasn't listening and probably being embarrassed by their whole conversation.

"Oh, he's definitely a softie," Cora agreed. "But I can't mock him for it too much, because that's the only reason I met you."

Erica rolled her eyes and swatted Cora playfully on the arm. "You're just as bad as him! Sentiment must run in your family, Hale."

"I am a _romantic_ ," Cora countered. "Are you telling me you don't like it?"

"Hmm, I don't know," Erica said. "I may have to do a few more tests to find out."

Cora paused for a moment, then laughed again. "Was that your way of asking me out on a second date?" she said.

"I guess that depends on what your answer is," said Erica, picking up her cup and taking a long drink from it. Her eyes were practically twinkling over the rim of the cup.

"Oh, I'll tell you what my answer is," Cora said. She slipped out from her side of the booth and held out her hand. Erica quirked an eyebrow at her but let Cora help her up from her seat so that they were standing face to face. 

"You want to know if I want a second date?" asked Cora, reaching out with one hand to cup the side of Erica's face, other customers be damned.

"Yeah," Erica breathed. "You just going to leave me hanging, or what?"

Cora shook her head. "I'll never keep you waiting, babe," she said, then leaned in and pressed their lips together in the best goddamn kiss of Cora's undead life.

Opportunity: seized.


End file.
